The Original Skid Row

Everyone who’s been watching MTV in the 90’s knows about the American Skid Row, with the pretty blond guy on vocals (Oh somebody call him Sebastian). But he not only “stole” his personal stage name (Sebastian Bach) - he completely ripped off the band name from the original, Irish “Skid Row”. They were not superstars back in the sixties and seventies, but they were not obscure either. They played tours alongside Frank Zappa, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and other popular acts of the time, becoming quite huge in their homeland of Ireland. “Skid Row” was Gary Moore’s first professional band, while Phil Lynott was their first vocalist. He was later fired from the band and went on to form “Thin Lizzy” with which he rose to international fame.

The band was formed in Dublin, in August 1967, when Brendan 'Brush' Shiels on bass guitar, Noel 'Nollaig' Bridgeman on drums, Ben Cheevers on guitar and Phil Lynott on vocals decided to work together as a professional music group. The band's first gig was in a basement club on Dublin’s Lower Abbey Street, in September 1967. One year later Ben Cheevers left the band, and the search for a suitable and talented guitarist resulted in Gary Moore joining the group as a fifth member. "Skid Row" continued as a power trio and went on to release two studio albums in the seventies and one live album.

The controversy over the name issue with Sebastian’s Skid Row continues to these days. Jon Bon Jovi, who was the manager for the American heavy-metal band, was publicly criticized by the founder of the original Skid Row, the bassist Brendan Shiels, who claims that Sebastian Bach’s story about giving $35,000 to Gary Moore in exchange for permission to use the name, was a complete lie. "Now, I know for a fact this is a complete lie.” says Shiels, “I got in touch with Seb, and he said as far as he was concerned it was the truth. But that couldn't be the truth. The late Gary Moore told me Jon Bon Jovi asked him if it was alright to use the name. Gary said it was nothing to do with him and he'd have to ring me. For some reason, Jon Bon Jovi never rang me.” In 2012, Shiels released a Skid Row album called “Bon Jovi Never Rang Me.” Here is a video that he posted on Youtube, addressing the issue:

For all fans of hard driven rock, early psychedelia, and good riffs you can check out their albums. Here are some of their songs. Enjoy!